Fans hit out at high cost for children

Western Bureau:

Several football fans, who turned up with their young children for Friday night's friendly international between Jamaica and Venezuela in Montego Bay, returned home without watching the game, refusing to pay the adult price which was being charged for children.

"I came here tonight with my boyfriend and my son to support the Reggae Boyz but the cost for children is just too high," said female football fan Maureen Smith. "Regrettably, especially for my son, we have decided against watching the game."

According to Smith, who turned up at the venue regally clad in full gold, while she came prepared to pay the grandstand cost of $2,000 each for herself and her boyfriend, she felt $2,000 for her five year-old son was excessive, hence her decision not to attend the game.

Unreasonable

Unlike Smith, some other fans reluctantly paid the $2,000 for their children, but not without a lot of complaints and threats not to support future games unless provisions are made to accommodate small children at what they consider a reasonable cost.

"It is unreasonable to expect me to pay $2,000 for this little boy," said a male fan, pointing to his four-year-old son waving a miniature Jamaica flag as he walked into the venue with his dad. "He will be sitting on my knees so he won't occupy a seat."

While clearly sympathetic to the complaints of the fans, Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) Vice-President Raymond Anderson stated that based on several factors, including insurance and other factors, the federation had no choice but to ensure that every fan that entered the stadium had a ticket.

Insurance coverage

"The reality of the situation is that we are really selling seats," stated Anderson. "Under the policy that governs the use of stadiums, each fan must have a seat and in the case of tonight's game, the cost for the seats in the grandstand is $2,000."

In regard to those fans who are of the view that children below a certain age should be admitted free of charge, Anderson said the federation would be irresponsible to do so, as each ticket represents a kind of insurance policy in case of an accident inside the stadium.

"A ticket represents insurance coverage for all ticket holders in the stadium," said Anderson. "If we let in the children free and something should happen to them, I am sure their parents would hold the JFF liable."

On the matter of reducing the cost for children, Anderson said that was just not feasible because with the Montego Bay Stadium a mere 7,500-seater facility, reducing the cost of the tickets would significantly impact the federation's ability to break even.

- A.F